Ditch-forming machine.



E. W. SMITH.

DITCH FORMING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1918.

1,326,538. I Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

94 Edyawk/ 301/772. ammo,

WI aw KM.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR W. SMITH, 0F SHELL, WYOMING.

BITCH-FORMING MACHINE.

Application filed May 13, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Shell, in the county of Bighorn, State of Wyoming, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ditch-Forming Machines;and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in machinesfor digging a plurality of parallel ditches.

It is primarily the object of the present invention to provide a machinewhich will form a series of ditches and simultaneously pack the earth insaid ditches whereby the ditches are rendered of a more permanent natureand may efficiently serve to conduct irrigating streams.

A further object resides in the provision of a machine of this naturewhich is exceedingly simple in structure and which may be readilyadjusted to vary the spaces between the ditches.

A still further object resides in the provision of a ditch formingmachine of the present nature which may be efficiently operated in hardor soft ground and which, when operated in hard ground, may be pro videdwith a shovel means for digging the ditches.

With the above and other objects and ad vantages in view, the inventionresides more particularly in the novel combination, formation andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointedoutin the appended claims. a

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved ditch forming machine.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken centrally therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of one shovel.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line l-4 of Fig. 1 showing themeans for adjustably connecting the digging shovels.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the sidesof the frame of the improved machine are formed by a pair of digging andpacking cylinders 10, connected at their front and rear ends by angleiron end sills 11, said sills being provided in their end portions withseries Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Serial No. 234,195.

of apertures 12 through which may be selectively passed the securingbolts 12 for securing the sills to the tops of the cylinders, wherebythe distance between the cylinders may be varied to consequently varythe distance between the ditches formed by the cylinders. Each of thecylinders is preferably hollow and closed at its forward end, and hasits top flattened to facilitate securement of the end sills 11 thereto.Bolted to the end portions of the rear sill 11 are the rear ends of apair of hounds 14 which extend forwardly in convergent relation past thefront end sill 11 and carry at their forward ends a queen bolt 15 onwhich is mounted an ordinary draft tongue 16. The hounds are bolted at17 to the front sill 11 at their points of intersection therewith andthus hold the sills 11 and cylinders 10 in rigid relation. These partsof the frame are also held in rigid relation by cross braces 18 boltedtogether at their point of intersection and having their ends bolted tothe end sills 11 inwardly of the hounds 14. Secured to the centralportions of the end sills 11 are the downturned ends 19 of a seatsupporting bar 20 on which is slidably mounted a sleeve or collar 21carrying a seat 22 which may thus be shifted along the supporting bar 20and held in any desired adjusted position by a thumb screw 23 threadedin the sleeve and bearing against the bar.

The structure described is adapted for digging ditches in a relativelysoft earth, and for packing the dirt therein to insure a comparativelypermanent nature of such ditches. As the machine is drawn, the frontclosed ends of the cylinders 10 act as plows, digging into the ground toform the ditches and the bodies of the cylinders in following throughthe ditches thus formed efficiently pack the dirt in semi-circularcross-sections in the bottoms of the ditches.

In very hard ground, or in alfalfa or similar ground wherein a mass ofroots would be so matted as to prevent an efficient plowing action bythe ends of the cylinders, a suitable digging means is provided at thefront end of each cylinder which comprises a shovel body 24 having itslower end taperingly reduced and inclined forwardly. The body has avertical rib 25 formed centrally on its rear face adapted to fit in avertical channel 26 in the forward end of the upper portion of eachcylinder 10, said rib 25 being provided with a series of apertures 27through which may be passed a securing bolt 28 whereby the elevation ofthe shovel may be varied, this bolt 28 passing through the front end ofthe cylinder and traversing the slot thereof. l/Vith the shovels thuspositioned on the front ends of the cylinders 10, a proper diggingaction may be secured with sufficient draft power, and as heretoforedescribed in connection with the plowing action of the ends of thecylinders, the bodies of the cylinders follow through the ditches andefiiciently pack the earth therein.

It is noted that the weight of the driver on the seat 22 materially aidsin the dirt digging and packing operation of the machine, and in the useof the machine with or, without the plow members 24:, adjustment of theseat 22 toward and away from the front of the machine will determine thedepth of the ditch formed thereby. \Vith respect to the shovels, thisvariation of the depth is made in conjunction with adjustment of theshovels vertically with respect to the cylinders.

To insure a proper alinement of the ditches being dug by the machinewith previously dug ditches, a bar 29 extends rearwardly from thecentral portion of the rear sill 11 and has pivoted thereto a bar 80 ofsufiicient length to extend a considerable distance laterally beyondeither of the cylinders 10. The outer end of this bar 30 is providedwith a longitudinal series of openings 31 to any one of which is securedthe standard 82 of a guide shoe 33 adapted to travel in a previouslyformed ditch. The bar 30 is connected by a chain 34: with a suitableportion of the machine frame, and

this chain preferably extends to and is secured to the double tree 35 ofthe draft tongue 16, whereby it is conveniently accessible, and the bar30 may be thus swung from side to side of the machine and properlysecured to operate in conjunction with previously formed ditches oneither side of the machine.

An exceedingly simple, efficient and durable machine has thus beenprovided which will form and pack that type of shallow ditch used forconveying smaller streams of irrigating water.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it will be understood that various changes and modificationsof structure may be resorted to without departing in any manner from thespirit of the invention which consists in the provision of ditch packingmembers extending longitudinally of the machine and adapted at theirforward ends to dig into the ground to initially form the ditch.

What is claimed is:

1. In a ditch forming machine, a digging and packing membersubstantially cylindrical in contour with its front end closed andhaving an upright channel, and means for supporting this member with itschannel upright and drawing it forward through the earth; combined witha shovel shaped to fit the front end of said member and having a ribentering its channel, and means for holding it adjustably in positiontherein.

2. A ditch forming machine comprising a frame, a plurality of elongateddigging and packing members depending from and extending longitudinallyof the frame, shovels adapted for detachable securement at the forwardends of said members, and means to adjust said members toward and awayfrom each other.

3. A ditch forming machine including a frame, a plurality of ditchdigging and packing members depending from and extending longitudinallyof the frame and provided with vertical slots in their forward ends, aplurality of shovel members, a vertical rib on the rear face of eachshovel member, engageable in the slot of a corresponding digging memberand provided with a series of apertures and a securing bolt passedthrough one of the apertures of each rib and through the correspondingpacking member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the'presence of twowitnesses.

EDGAR W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

GSA. HINMAN, I T. C. DANIEL.

